Jurassic Dinosaurs and Insects: The Paleoecological Role of Termites as Carcass Feeders

Authors

Anne Dangerfield, Brigham Young University
Dr. Brooks Britt, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Jurassic dinosaurs, insects, paleoecological role, termites, carcass feeders, Allosaurus jimmadseni

College

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Department

Geological Sciences

Abstract

My original project focused on the comparison of postcranial bones of two species of Allosaurus with the goal of differentiating the species based on limb robustness. A detailed study of 78 bones showed that there were at least 13 individuals of Allosaurus in the Dry Mesa quarry that belong to Allosaurus jimmadseni. Measurements of the A. jimmadseni specimens were compared with those of A. fragilis from two other institutions. There were no significant differences except for the robustness of the femur bone, which is less robust in A. jimmadseni than A. fragilis. My conclusion is that although the skulls of these two species differ substantially, the postcranial skeletons are virtually indistinguishable on ratios alone. I will continue to work on this paper with the goal of presenting our results at a national meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Recommended Citation

Dangerfield, Anne and Britt, Dr. Brooks (2013) "Jurassic Dinosaurs and Insects: The Paleoecological Role of Termites as Carcass Feeders," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 2679.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/2679